We are 12 days away from Arkansas baseball, and HawgBeat is continuing its lineup preview series for the 2023 Diamond Hogs.
The Razorbacks will return just two starters from last year's lineup, so fans will soon become familiar with all of the new faces.
With scrimmage coverage, weekly notebooks, position previews, the Diamond Hawgs Podcast and more, HawgBeat provides the best Arkansas baseball coverage around.
We continue things with the five-hole spot, which is projected to be filled by a player that was a First-Team All-Big East performer last season...
#11 - Jared Wegner - LF
Grad. | R/R | 6' 0" | 220
Kearney, Neb. / Kearney HS / Creighton
2022: 63 games, .346/.463/.641, 42 R, 63 H, 13 2B, 3 3B, 11 HR, 52 RBI, 30 BB/42 K, 11 SB
Wegner was a quiet transfer addition to the Razorbacks, as he committed on June 7, when the 2022 season was still going on. Though his addition was been overshadowed by a College World Series run, Wegner's resume speaks for itself. He's already been named a preseason Second-Team All-American by the National College Baseball Writers Association.
He had a career-best campaign as a senior in 2022, slashing .346/.463/.641 as a First-Team All-Big East player for Creighton. Wegner smashed 11 home runs, six of which came at Charles Schwab Field in Omaha, Neb., which is the home of the College World Series.
Wegner posted an impressive 1.094 OPS and he earned 30 walks and 13 HBPs (43 free passes) compared to 42 strikeouts. His addition was much-needed after the Razorbacks saw all three starting outfielders — Braydon Webb, Zack Gregory and Chris Lanzilli — move on from last year's team.
"With Jared Wegner coming in from Creighton, a really good player, a really good student, mature," Head Hog Dave Van Horn said Jan. 20. "Doesn’t really say a whole lot unless he’s got something to say. I think he’s excited to be here. We’re glad to have him, obviously."
Wegner's first three seasons at Creighton were hampered by injuries, but when he was fully healthy in 2022, he proved that he can be a difference maker. Van Horn said he was surprised that nobody drafted Wegner in last year's MLB Draft.
"I don’t know why somebody didn’t draft him in 20 rounds," Van Horn said Sept. 7. "If they look at his history, last year was his first year that he hasn’t been injured. He had a hamate bone issue the year before, and the year before because he either rebroke it or irritated it again.
"Last year was his first year to play healthy at Creighton and he had a tremendous year. I think getting him through was really big, especially at that position in the outfield. He’s a middle of the order type hitter."
During the fall, Wegner dealt with a oblique injury that limited him. In his 20 plate appearances during scrimmages HawgBeat attended, Wegner recorded six hits, seven runs, 12 RBIs, two home runs, five walks, two strikeouts and two stolen bases.
Van Horn said Wegner is "real healthy" on Jan. 20, and he also added that Wegner got back to campus early prior to the start of the spring semester.
"He’s been working with a lot of — the pro guys are in town, most of them pitchers — he’s got some live at bats off those guys and some of our guys, mostly our guys," Van Horn said. "He’s healthy and I don’t feel like anybody at this time, unless that’s changed since last night, I feel like we’re all healthy right now."
According to Van Horn, Wegner isn't a big 'look at me' guy, he just lets his play do the talking.
"He can run, and he’ll fool you," Van Horn said. "He doesn’t tell you about anything — not gonna tell you about how good he can hit, how far he can hit it or how fast he is. You just see it, and you’ve gotta like that. He just kind of shows you."
In the field, Wegner is projected to start in left, and Van Horn confirmed that in his pre-spring press conference. As primarily a corner outfielder at Creighton last season, Wegner had a .969 fielding percentage and just three errors. He also started as a designated hitter in 20 games.
Like Van Horn said, Wegner is a middle of the order type hitter, and he has a lot of pop. If he can stay healthy, he should have a strong 2023 season in Fayetteville.
Wegner and the Diamond Hogs will start their season on Feb. 17 at the College Baseball Showdown in Arlington, Texas. The first matchup will be against the Texas Longhorns at 7 p.m. CT.
HawgBeat's Lineup Breakdown Series
1. #12 - Tavian Josenberger - CF
5. #11 - Jared Wegner - LF (today)
6. (Monday, Feb. 6)
7. (Tuesday, Feb. 7)
8. (Wednesday, Feb. 8)
9. (Thursday, Feb. 9)
Bench players (Friday, Feb. 10)
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Takeaways from Dave Van Horn’s first press conference of 2023
